The Midsomer Norton Community Band, which was only formed in November 2017, will give its first solo concert at the Town Hall on Sunday, 29th April following its successful premier outing at Christmas, supporting the Terry Hill Band.

Local peripatetic teachers, Amanda Garland and Katharine North, initiated the band with conductor Fiona Langley to offer an outlet for local musicians of Grade 2 standard upwards to come together and enjoy making music.

Amanda explained: “The emphasis on music is sadly declining in our schools and we wanted to encourage young musicians to experience the joy of playing as part of a big band. This band offers the opportunity for young musicians from Midsomer Norton and the surrounding areas to mix with older musicians to experience playing their instruments in a relaxed and fun environment.”

The band will be performing a selection of music that they have been practising weekly, including ‘The Way we Were’, ‘All That Jazz’, ‘A John Williams Trilogy’ and many more well-known pieces.

Fiona Langley said: “We are so proud of how far this band has come in such a short space of time, and the effort and commitment they have put into learning the pieces, but we would love to have more musicians of any age to come and join us.”

The band is still in its developmental stages, so all money raised will go towards new music and much-needed equipment. Katharine North added: “It should be a very enjoyable concert. We are all very excited and are looking forward to playing to our very first audience.”

The concert starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday, 29th April. Those interested in coming to join in the music-making should email: [email protected]